My impromptu capsule wardrobe

Image via Chelsea Francis

Have you heard of (or tried) doing a capsule wardrobe? Lots of bloggers are taking part by selecting a small amount of clothing items to remix and wear over and over throughout a season. Though I love a good closet edit, I wasn't planning on participating. But due to some home remodeling that has most of my wardrobe in storage through the end of February, I found myself participating in an impromptu, month-long capsule!

Here are my items:

Clothes:
1 pair of dark jeans
3 pairs of black leggings/tights
1 blue/grey tunic dress
1 long tan and white striped sweater
1 long sleeve black and white striped henley
1 black tank
2 cardis (black and white floral and plain black)

Outerwear:
1 navy heavy coat
1 black faux-leather jacket
1 pair of gloves

Shoes:
2 pairs of flats (both patterned Toms)
2 pairs of boots (black booties and snowboots)
1 pair of tennis shoes

Other:
2 pairs of workout pants
2 workout shirts
1 pair of PJs
7 sets of undies and socks
2 bras
3 pairs of earrings

With the exception of the coats and shoes, all of this fits into a carry on sized suitcase. To be honest, I wish I had one thicker sweater (it's been cold) and a few more accessories (necklaces and scarves). But, I packed with the intention of being without a full closet for about a week.

Besides that, I sort of love the idea of only having a few curated options. It makes getting dressed super easy and I don't think anyone has noticed that I'm wearing the same few items over and over.

At this point, I can barely remember the wardrobe pieces I am missing! I think I'll try to keep as few items as possible on hand moving forward (especially now that I'll be sharing a closet with my hubby)!

Would you ever try a capsule wardrobe?

Ready for the holidays

Hello there, it's been a while! Plenty of delightful things going on around these parts. A couple of fun travel posts are coming up. Maybe a holiday DIY or two. But, first, the holidays!

Normally, I'm all about Thanksgiving, because, hello, the food! The parade! But the pie has been ordered and the appetizers set, so I got the itch to decorate for Christmas a week early this year. Something about the snow falling and the Christmas music on the radio got me in the spirit sooner than expected.
 

My little helper!

Classic Christmas bulbs line the house outside. Our small tree, vintage ornaments and one or two festive trinkets are placed and pretty (and we lit a pine-scented candle for good measure).

A holiday DIY with West Elm was completed weeks ago, Kevin McCallister has graced our television twice already and the first peppermint hot chocolate was ordered excitedly this weekend. Party invites are rolling in and our Christmas cards are ever-so-close to being complete.

So, yes. We are ready, for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cheers to the season!

More holiday posts:
Oh, Deer! Glitter reindeer canvas DIY
Holiday craft night with West Elm Denver
Holiday bucket list 2013

Best of: Park Hill and Stapleton

Lucky for us, our friend just bought the house across the street from us! She's never lived on our side of town so I thought I'd give her a little neighborhood guide to a few of our favorite spots in Park Hill/Stapleton. Everything here is within a couple miles of our street, tried and tested by us!

Welcome to the neighborhood, Lauren!

Park Hill Restaurants
Table Top (22nd & Oneida)
-Fun place for date night or happy hour, great food

Neighbor's Wine Bar (22nd and Kearney)
-Good for a glass of wine, patio

Cherry Tomato (23rd and Dexter)

-Italian food

Oblios Pizza (22nd & Kearney)
-Take away pizza, can sit and eat too, casual

Spicy Thai Sushi Wow (22nd & Oneida)
-Takeout/delivery for Thai food and sushi

Stapleton Restaurants

The Bistro at Stapleton (29th and Ulster)

-Wine, cheese plates, little french cafe-type place

Udi's/Etai's Cafe (29th & Quebec)
-Good breakfast spot
-They deliver dinner!

Coffee Shops
Starbucks (29th & Quebec)
-In Stapleton Town Center, also in King Soopers

Cake Crumbs (22nd and Kearney)
-Breakfast, coffee, cupcakes

Ice Cream
Nuggs Ice Cream (Fairfax & Colfax)
Menchies (Northfield Stapleton, by movie theater)

Park Hill Grocery Stores
King Soopers (27th and Quebec)
Safeway (13th and Kearney)

Spinelli's (23rd and Dexter)

Liquor Stores
Grape Expectations (23rd & Kearney)
-Lots of wine
Oneida Liquors (22nd & Oneida)
-Cheap

Stapleton Nail Salon
Sweet Life Nail Bar (23rd & Valentia-ish)
-Cute, clean place

Hardware Stores

Ace Hardware (Colfax & Oneida)

Home Depot (Quebec Square)

East Denver Gyms
Corepower Yoga (29th and Quebec)
Stapleton/Central Park Rec Center (MLK & Emporia)

Walk, run or ride bikes up and down Montview (pretty houses)

Stapleton Shopping Centers

Stapleton Town Center (29th and Quebec)Einsteins
Starbucks
Corepower
Udi's/Etai's 

Liquor store

Walgreens
Library

Farmer's market (Sundays)

Quebec Square: (Just past MLK on Quebec):
Home Depot
Party City
UPS Store
Rocky Mountain Green Chili Company
Panera
Jimmy Johns

Park Hill/Stapleton residents: what are your favorite spots in the neighborhood?

Farmer's market flowers

We had thee best fourth of July weekend: great food, a festive neighborhood parade, family dinners and fireworks, naturally! We also sneaked up to the Boulder farmer's market with our friends, where I picked up this gorgeous wildflower bouquet for only $10! 

I decided to play florist and rearrange that big bouquet into a few smaller ones. First, I deconstructed the larger bouquet and separated the flowers by color. 

Then, I cut the stems to fit the smaller mason jars and arranged the blooms!

I placed one jar full of wildflowers in the bedroom, one bouquet on the front porch and a pretty bunch on the dining table, for good measure. 

I'm going to need a weekly trip to our local farmer's market just for flowers! I sure do love having fresh flowers in the house, don't you? 

Get more flower arranging ideas from my friend Like a Latte, here.

Around here

Well April just flew by didn't it? And, what do you know, it's already mid-May! Here's just a little bit of what we're up to around here.

Celebrated our birthdays by relaxing in lovely Puerto Vallarta.

 

Sipped rose with our neighbors at Neighbors, the wine bar down the street.

Planted vines and herbs and got really dirty spreading mulch, as homeowners do.

Cheered on the Rockies on the new Coors Field rooftop when Sara was in town.

Got silly with Winnie one afternoon. Eye see you...

Just a small peek at my phone pictures as of late. I have some fun freelance articles to share coming up later in the week, so stay tuned! xo

My 8 best Craigslist tips

Hello there! Let's talk about Craigslist for a minute, shall we? We are big Craigslisters in this house.

My husband has sold his car and purchased a jet ski using the online classifieds. He's also purchased a chainsaw, snowboard and bindings, a camping tent and other "guy things." I bought a $100 Crate & Barrel desk a few years ago and recently re-sold it for the same amount. I also recently sold a dresser I found at an antique store for $30 more than I paid for it. We also found a ski condo to rent for a weekend via the "vacation rentals" section.

I happen to love buying and selling things on Craigslist, but know that's not the same for everyone. I thought I would share my best tips for buying and selling on Craigslist.

Buying
* If you're looking for something specific, you might have to look for a long while. Craigslist is a marathon, not a sprint. I looked for my table and chairs for around five months before finding what I wanted. Take 10 minutes every few days to search for your item. Don't forget to try different search terms! For example, I'm currently looking for this white Ikea Hemnes dresser; my search phrases include: white dresser, white Ikea dresser, hemnes, white bedroom furniture and Ikea.

* If you're interested in a particular listing, follow the contact directions; don't e-mail if they ask you to text. Explain that you're interested and willing to come with cash that day (or the nearest weekend day). It's best to get the bulk of your haggling done before you show up.

* Bring a buddy or, at the very least let someone know the exact address and time you will be there. Safety first! Make sure you're going during the day if possible.

* Unless there's something completely different about the item from the photo, I wouldn't haggle in person. But I'm non-confrontational like that!

Selling
* Take bright photos of each item in natural daylight. Get several different angles. Original photos are key. You want local buyers to know they're buying from a normal, local person.

* Give as much detail as possible in short, concise sentences or lists. With furniture, I always list the width, depth and height dimensions. If you can find a link to the original item online, that will help, too. For other items, like clothing or shoes, it's also important to describe in-depth and provide plenty of pictures.

* I like to price my items in $20 increments if possible (it's nice for folks stopping at an ATM). Aim high but put "negotiable" in the description. People love to think they're getting a deal.

* As above, make sure you have a buddy with you for the transaction. For furniture, I always drag the item out to my driveway or porch so the buyer doesn't have to come inside. If you're selling a car, it's best to meet in a very public setting. When Max sold his car, it was in a gas station parking lot and he had a bill of sale for the buyer to sign.

Here are a few of our recent buying successes:

I found our dining set (West Elm table, Target chairs) in separate listings on Craigslist. That saved $600+ from the retail value (plus savings on tax and delivery).

It took me a while to find it, but I finally found this West Elm mercury glass pendant for $40 cheaper than in-store. I have our old pendant from Home Depot for sale on Craigslist right now.

We purchased this elliptical for $150 less than the retail value. It works great and we actually use it! Our neighbor saw us unloading it from our car and said, "nice clothes rack!" Ha ha!

We saved $50 on this Ikea Hemnes dresser for our bedroom, and we didn't have to put it together! That was worth it in itself. The owner had assembled two before he realized he only needed one.

If you're interested in more Craigslist buying/selling tips, Young House Love has a very thorough article about how they shop via the site. Also, blogger Emily Henderson posts these really fun trolling Craigslist articles ever so often! She recently profiled several listings in Denver.

What's your best Craigslist find? I'd love to hear!

Meet our furry friends

Did you know that February 20 is national love your pet day? No? I didn't, either. Good thing for Twitter hashtags! It's no secret that we love our pets. We have a cat and a dog (they get along just fine, thank you). Both were adopted from our local shelter, the Denver Dumb Friends League.

On the lookout.

Meet our furry friends:

Winnie is our mini dachshund. She is a cuddler, loves peanut butter and gives lots of smooches. She prefers to be under the covers at all times and might pee a little if she's excited to see you. Also answers to Weenbeen, Winnifred and Nugget.

Cookie?

Bling is our version of grumpy cat. He is an early-riser, eats dog treats and will scratch anything. He prefers looking out the bedroom window and kneading the blankets on our couch. Also known as Blinger, Blingling and Dr. Walters.

Yoga cat.

These two are super spoiled and we wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe they'll get an extra treat tonight?!

5 healthy habits to add to your morning routine

I love hearing about morning routines. Everyone is so different. I have pretty much the exact same routine every workday, unless I'm meeting Jill for a coffee date or taking a rare early morning Pilates class with Kim!

6:45 - Wake up, feed the dog and cat, start breakfast
7:00 - Watch the Today Show while I eat my breakfast
7:15 - Start getting ready
7:30 - Wake up my husband, let the dog out again, get dressed
7:45 - Gather my things, pack a lunch, start the coffee
8:00 - Out the door

There's something to be said for starting your day off right. How you begin your mornings can often set the tone for your whole day. Just one or two healthy choices, whether mental, physical or nutritional, can set you up for a day of success. Add one of these healthy habits to your morning routine and watch your day improve from the start.

Add sunlight
In lieu of overhead lights, go ahead and open all the blinds or curtains. Natural light is best for a gentle wake up and can help you adjust from sleeping to being awake.Our front windows face east, so i get to see the sunrise form my kitchen usually.

Add whole grains to your breakfast
First off, you are eating breakfast, aren't you? If not, it's time to start. I almost always have 100% whole wheat toast with peanut butter and homemade jam. The more whole grains you eat at breakfast, the less room you'll have for a sugary snack around 10 a.m. - goodbye, office cookies.

Add knowledge
Skip the mindless Facebook posts in favor of the morning news. I always watch the first 15 minutes of the Today Show while I eat my breakfast. Or, switch on an educational podcast or radio show on your way to work. Whether you're learning about a new medical study or just staying connected to what's happening in your city, you'll feel a little more aware of what's going on outside the social media bubble.

Add a calming scent
While most people would consider lighting candles to be a romantic evening gesture, I think I'll start lighting mine in the morning. My favorite scent is the Capri Blue Volcano candle from Anthropologie - just the smell can calm me down and put me in a good mood for my day.

Add a 5 minute stretch
I almost always wake up with a stiff neck. Someday I'll find a magic pillow that helps, but until then, I just stretch the creaks away. Stretching increases blood flow and releases tension. Start the coffee pot and do overhead arm stretches and standing forward folds right there in your kitchen. Or, while you're brushing your teeth, tilt your neck side-to-side and stretch your torso. Multi-tasking while you stretch means you don't have to wake up any earlier to accomplish this goal!

What are your favorite morning rituals?

A few before and afters

We have been busy busy around here doing some yard work and a few minor organizing projects. Max installed a second shelf in my closet, so I'm in the midst of a nice closet clean out (I love a good closet intervention)!

Our Memorial Day weekend was fantastically packed with fun activities but I did manage to sneak in a laundry room mini makeover:

Kind of embarrassed to say this was our messy mud/laundry room before! There was a mini propane tank (what? not safe) and about 15 other things that did not belong up there! 

After! Purchased those colorful bins from Target and cleaned out a lot of random junk. I still want to paint or do some stick on polka dots on the opposite wall!

And we've done a couple minor cosmetic changes in the yard over the past few weeks. We removed the ugly privacy slats from our front chain link fence and also painted the clotheslines in the backyard to match the trim.

These slats are the bane of my existence. Too bad we have them all the way around.

After! Much less noticeable. Our neighbors approved!

Before - yuck!

After! Not so bad. The other close line has two topsy-turvy tomato plants hanging from it!

I think it's a good idea to snap a before pic prior to starting any project, large or small. It's a fun reminder how much work you were able to accomplish! Next up on our list: staining our patio furniture and maybe {hopefully soon} hardwood refinishing!

ACDC: Air Conditioner Decisions and Choices

Many of the houses we were looking at while househunting did not have air conditioning; it's a fact of living in an older neighborhood - most of the brick bungalows were built in the 40s and 50s and just don't have them. We even heard a funny nickname for our style of house: the Park Hill brick oven.

While we thought we could live without, it turns out that should have been a deal-breaker. Or at least a negotiating point! We moved during the hottest weekend of the year and what followed was three weeks of 100 degree + days. We were hot, cranky, mean folks. I was reluctant to turn on the stove or oven because that would make the heat worse, worried the dog would melt while we were gone during the day, and so tired from no sleep! My dad finally scored us the last portable AC in the state (we couldn't have window units since ours slide vertically). It was a great temporary solution but we decided to take the plunge and go for a real central air unit.

After a couple of weeks of quotes (and even grand illusions of DIY with a friend), we decided on a local company and a lower-priced unit (as opposed to a national company who only sells high-end units). While the sticker shock was a little hard to swallow (you mean we could go to Tahiti for the same price?) we decided it was worth the investment for resell value. Not to mention the investment in our sanity!

So far we are thrilled. I even put on slippers the other day while baking in the kitchen. Slippers! In July! Glorious. I might change my mind after we see our first Xcel bill, but for now I'm a happy (indoor, airconditioned) camper.

$200 pergola roof DIY

Roof before

This weekend we attempted our first DIY project - finishing the pergola over our patio in the backyard. When we bought the house, there was a frame for a patio cover (we think there was a corrugated tin cover at some point). With temps in the 90-100 degree range all summer (not to mention my ginger skin) we needed some shade! Max was in charge of the planning and layout. I was in charge of complaining about the cost and the three trips to Home Depot. 

During install

Breakdown:
40 3"x8' wood boards: $150
1 gallon exterior paint: $25
150 screws: $10
Painting supplies: $15
F-Bombs: about 50 :)
Time: About 8 hours


After purchasing the boards, we painted them to match the trim on the house. One broke and one warped, and we didn't account for slant when measuring, so we ended up being 4 boards short (back to Home Depot!).

Completed pergola

After painting all the surfaces of each board, Max hopped up on the ladder and began screwing them in to the existing beams. We of course chose the hottest weekend ever to complete the install, but treated ourselves to the pool and patio drinks after!

Can't wait to sit in the shade! I consider this first major project a success!

We bought a house!

After six months of looking at what feels like every house in Denver, we finally, finally closed on our home last week! What followed was an insane 72 hours of packing, moving, assembling and organizing. Thank goodness for my family who helped us a TON! 

Highlights:
*There is not a single box left in the house itself. The garage is another story...
*Our new Ikea bed has tons of storage and fits perfectly in our room!
*One set of next door neighbors are absolutely awesome and I think our puppies will be great fence-friends.
*We have a dumpster! I never thought I would be excited about this, but when you have that much moving trash, it helps!
*Flowers, wine, and housewarming presents from friends, family and our realtor!

Lowlights:
*I measured all 9 windows incorrectly, which meant a second trip to Home Depot to get them re-cut - only after we each had a meltdown about it.
*We moved during the hottest two days of the year so far. Did I mention we don't have air-conditioning?
*It took two trips to Ikea to get the bed (not a nearby destination)!
*I got stung by a bee in the front yard - boo!

We can't wait to settle in and start making this little brick bungalow ours! I'm already learning so, so much about being a homeowner and we're loving our new neighborhood so far. Excited to host lots of dinners and parties in the near future (after we get some air conditioning)!